The beginnings of his life will be captured in a production by Luis Ortega. This could once again put an eternal discussion on the table: where was “El Zorzal Criollo” born, Uruguay, France or Argentina? Two researchers review his career, reconstruct his history and also talk about their findings regarding the artist’s birthplace.
On June 24, 1935, the singer and actor Carlos Gardel died in a plane crash in the city of Medellín (Colombia). On that day, the 44-year-old artist passed into immortality through his music. And around his figure persist until today several versions and doubts about some aspects of his life.
“The magician”, “the Creole thrush”, “the morocho del Abasto”, or simply Carlitos, are some of the many nicknames that Gardel had, whose story is once again in the news 86 years after his death.
The new series is expected to premiere in 2023. For now, a first season focused on the early years of his career is being considered.
“We are going to show the person who appears behind the public figure,” said producer Kapow, publicly announcing the start of this work inspired by the book by Argentine historian Felipe Pigna.
In 2021 Pigna published a biography of the artist: Gardel. In dialogue with Zona Violeta, the historian said that he is “very happy with the proposal” and considers it a must to make a series on the life of the famous singer.
“Gardel reinvents the figure of the tango singer, he puts a stamp on it. (…) He said that more than a singer he was an interpreter, in the sense of interpreting what the poet wanted to say and transmitting it to the people. He did a previous recitation to convey what he wanted to sing,” said Pigna.
The interviewee also highlighted the fact that in the 1920s he had achieved worldwide fame, at a time when traveling and transcending borders was a more difficult task due to the few communication channels.
“He was his own businessman, he put together his tours and his repertoires. He was a complete artist. He was perfecting himself; a good person, with great empathy”, are factors that made him obtain fame and recognition, according to Pigna.
The Argentine historian found documents in France that confirm Gardel’s birth in Toulouse in 1890. And he points out that, years later, he became a nationalized Argentine.
However, on the other side of the Río de la Plata, the Uruguayan researcher Eduardo Cuitiño, author of: “Gardel, the dead man who speaks”, also found documentation that would confirm his birth in the department of Tacuarembó, Uruguay. And so an old debate of the Río de la Plata is resumed.
Cuitiño maintains that there is a false French document, which sought to seize the rights to Gardel’s music after his death and also “outwit the Argentine treasury.”
In any case, both researchers agree that the interpreter “loved both countries” and his role as a historical representative of the River Plate culture is inevitable.
“He is one of the singers with the most recordings in history, he has more than 1,000 recordings. He was a laburante, he had a lot of gift, a lot of talent, but he also worked a lot (…). The songs in the movies are not sexist songs of the usual tango. They are well cared for and it is something very beautiful, for a reason it was left for posterity. It is a very advanced art for the time”, Cuitiño indicated.
